Patriots: Confidence In New England QB Mac Jones Despite Benching?

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones found himself on the bench late against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but other players are still vocally supporting him.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones has had his share of rough games throughout his career, but Sunday's showing against the Dallas Cowboys was definitely among his lowest moments.

Simply put, nothing went went right for Jones and the offense while going against a stifling Dallas defense. Jones finished the game with a paltry quarterback rating of 39.9, the third-worst in his career, after completing 12 of 21 passes for 150 yards with two interceptions and a fumble. Jones' turnovers proved extremely costly, as the Cowboys returned two of them for touchdowns and kicked a field goal after the third. With the game well out of reach, Jones eventually found himself on the bench as Bailey Zappe came in late in the third quarter.

It was an extremely difficult game for Jones, and he even said that he feels he let the team down. After the game, though, Jones' teammates still had his back and said they believe in him going forward.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones had a rough game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday / USA Today

"It's all of us that has to look in the mirror. It is never one guy," center David Andrews said of Jones.

“We’re still behind Mac. I believe in him 100 percent,” defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. said.

One may assume that Patriots coach Bill Belichick lost faith in Jones due to him benching the quarterback late in the game, but that's not the case. Belichick said after the game that Jones' exit wasn't due to poor performance, but just because there was "no sense in leaving him in" when the game was no longer winnable. Belichick also affirmed that Jones would start next week's game against the New Orleans Saints and beyond.

It is worth noting that Jones has been once before. Jones started last year's game against the Chicago Bears after returning injury, but posted a career-worst 16.7 quarterback rating, leading to Zappe coming back in. Despite a bad performance, Belichick stuck with him and he started each of the Patriots' remaining games.

For now, it seems that the Patriots will keep with that same approach this season.

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